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Because she couldn’t afford the monthly payments and that was humiliating to admit. Merry had faced a lot of speed bumps on the road to establishing her career, which meant that her bank account had suffered, too. She was torn about telling him the truth, then decided keeping it to herself might have him thinking it was something worse.
“My mother died when I was about Wren’s age. My brother is ten years older than me and he joined the military.” She was the one dealing with memories now and they were sad. It had been a lonely time for her. There’d been no motherly hugs after school, no homemade cookies with a glass of cold milk. Her father had withdrawn into his own grief and she’d felt all alone. “Dad didn’t quite know what to do with me so he took me to work with him a lot.”
“What kind of work?”
“Electrician. Ed Matthews knew his way around wires and light switches. Not so much about what to do with a motherless little girl.”
“I can relate to that.”
“And we moved around a lot, going where the work was. Following the jobs. Changing schools all the time.”
“That’s why you knew how Wren felt, why you looked out for her when she was new to the school.”
“Yes.” She smiled up at him, then zeroed in on the pink jacket again. For some reason she wanted him to know she was working on her life even though that wasn’t what he’d asked. “You’re wondering what all this has to do with selling the house. I promise I’ll get there.”
“Okay.”
“My education was choppy, which put me behind. Plus, I helped my dad with the business. Answering phones and making appointments. Keeping the books.” It had helped bring them closer and she treasured that time more than ever now that he was gone. “I could only manage college classes part-time. And then in 2013, after the flood in Rust Creek Falls, Dad decided to move there. The damage was widespread and there was a real need for construction workers, plumbers and electricians. It’s a friendly, close-knit community and we decided to stay. We bought a house and fixed it up.”
“But?”
“How do you know there’s a ‘but’?” she asked.
“Because your house is for sale.”
“Right. I mentioned when we met that my dad died recently. Cancer.” She took a deep breath and met his gaze. “On top of missing him very much, without him there is no business or income. I don’t make enough at my school job to keep up with the mortgage payments.”
“I see.” He was frowning. “What will you do when the house is sold?”
“Right now I’m more nervous about the selling process. I have a real estate agent but never handled a real estate transaction on my own, without my dad.”
“The agent should explain everything but if you still have questions, my brother Logan has sold all kinds of property. He could probably help you out.”
“Thanks. That’s good to know.”
“And you’re still in school.” Obviously he’d read and retained the information she’d given him during the employment interview.
“Not at the moment. I had to care for my dad and was barely able to finish the spring semester online. I didn’t register for fall because he wasn’t doing well. But I’m going back to it right after the holidays.”
“And your major is early childhood education. Seems like a good fit.” He stuck his hands into the pockets of his sheepskin jacket. “You’re really tuned in to my daughter. She doesn’t even seem to notice she’s being handled.”
“Diversion. Distraction. Let them think the idea is theirs. A hard no isn’t easy to reverse.”
“Tell me about it.” The tone in his voice and the look on his face indicated he’d had some experience with that and it didn’t go well.
And then she felt bad. “I’m sorry, Hunter. For dumping on you like that. For bending your ear and making it all about me. That was unprofessional.”
“Well, I asked,” he said gently. “And maybe you needed to talk about it. The grief, I mean.”
Hmm. This “getting to know you” felt something like a first date. It wasn’t, but that didn’t stop her curiosity about him. When had Wren lost her mother? And how? The thing was, it didn’t feel right to just come out and ask.
“Do you miss Texas?” she said instead.
“No.” That was emphatic and he must have sensed it because he continued. “Rust Creek Falls is small and things move slower than they do in Dallas. This environment is better for my daughter.”
And speaking of Wren... The little girl reversed direction and came running back to them.
“Daddy, I’m hungry.”
And just like that the spell was broken. Getting to know her employer wasn’t part of her job but she’d enjoyed it anyway. Hunter was so much nicer and friendlier than he’d been at first. And easy to talk to, she thought wryly. It was a little embarrassing how much she’d bared her soul, but this was a job, not a weekend getaway, and she better not forget that.
“Daddy, doesn’t Merry look pretty?”
So pretty Hunter nearly swallowed his tongue. Wren and her nanny had just come out of the bedroom where they’d dressed for the wedding. Merry’s dress was light purple—no, Wren would tell him that was wrong. It was lavender and left one shoulder bare, a very soft and sexy shoulder. There was an equally sexy slit in the long skirt, simple and seductive at the same time. Silky material caressed her body and made his fingers ache to touch her bare skin. He was pretty sure it made her the sexiest nanny in Rustler’s Notch.
“Daddy, you look weird. Are you sick?”
“No, honey. I’m fine.” He glanced at Merry with her thick wild blond hair semi-tamed, pulled back into a messy side bun. “You do look really nice.”
“Thank you.” Her cheeks flushed pink.
“How do I look, Daddy?” Wren spun in a circle and the full skirt of her cream-colored dress flared out.
“Like a princess.”
“Do you like my dress? Merry says the style makes me look very grown-up.”
“I did say that.” She smiled at the little girl. “I just hope I did justice to tying that bow in the back.”
“It looks good to me,” he said.
“The crown of flowers in your hair is so natural and pretty, better than a tiara,” Merry said.
He listened as they debated the merits of tiara versus flowers then chattered about dresses, veils, princesses and fairy tales. He loved his daughter more than anything in the world but girly stuff was way out of his comfort zone. Right up there with someday having to explain to Wren about the birds and bees.
That was a long way off, but for some reason he’d been thinking a lot about sex recently. Mostly that he hadn’t had it for a long time. That was the safest reason he could come up with for last night’s dreams about holding Merry in his arms. Naked.
“You look really handsome in your tuxedo, Daddy. Don’t you think so, Merry?”
“Yes, he does.” A becoming blush crept into her cheeks.
“Thank you, ladies. I’m glad I passed inspection. But you’re the star, Wren. If you’re ready, we really need to get a move on or the wedding is going to be missing a flower girl.”
Fortunately they had only to go downstairs. Hunter escorted them to the bride’s room, where the wedding planner was calling the shots. Merry was going to stay with Wren until just before this shindig got rolling. He proceeded to the event venue, where chairs were set up in two sections to create an aisle and there were so many flowers it looked and smelled like a garden.
Hunter had received his instructions—family and friends of the bride on the left. Groom’s on the right. Logistics like this he could handle. It kept him too busy to think about Wren and whether or not she was okay. Before long most of the seats were filled, except those reserved for family in the first two rows.
Then he saw Merry walk in and his heart skipped a beat. She looked so beautiful that for a moment it was difficult to get air into his lungs. When he could breathe again, he moved toward her before any of the other ushers could.
“Hi. How’s everything going?”
“Don’t worry, your daughter is fine.”
“Am I that transparent?” he asked.
“Yes, and good for you being a concerned father. She is so excited. And safe,” she added.
“Okay.” He held out his arm. “Then I will show you to your seat.”
She smiled and put her hand into the bend of his elbow. “Thanks.”
He led her up the aisle on the right and indicated she should sit in the front row. “Here you go.”
There was surprise in her eyes. “But this is for your family.”
“Wren needs to see you. In case she’s nervous.”
“Right. She might be a little shy with so many people watching her. Okay, then, if you think it’s all right.”
When she sat and demurely rearranged that silky skirt to cover her legs, Hunter sighed with disappointment. That’s when he knew for sure he was going to hell for having inappropriate, sexy thoughts about the nanny.
He made one more trip to the rear of the room and received instructions to take his seat. His brothers and their wives were in place and it didn’t bum him out that the chair beside Merry was empty. When he claimed it, things started to happen. Finn walked in accompanied by Max, who was his best man. He’d chosen his father for the job in the spirit of a new understanding between them. And because he didn’t want to choose one of his brothers over another. The minister took his place and then the music started. Everyone stood and looked at the back of the room to get the first glimpse of the bride.
Wren was the first one down the aisle and expertly sprinkled rose petals from the basket she carried onto the white runner. She was followed by a bridesmaid in a dress the same color as the coral bow on his daughter’s dress. Then he saw the bride, beautiful in a full-skirted satin dress with lacy sleeves. A veil covered her face and she was accompanied by her father, Oscar Ellington.
Hunter looked at his father and brother and saw tension on their faces. He didn’t have to guess what they were thinking. His brothers looked the same way and he figured they were all wondering the same thing he was. Would there be fireworks between the bride’s father and the groom’s? At the rehearsal dinner last night the two men had avoided each other but they were face to face now.
“What’s wrong?” Merry asked. “Your father suddenly looks like his shoes are too tight.”
So she’d noticed, too. He leaned over and whispered, “Years ago he was working on a business deal with Avery’s father. It went bad and Oscar is still holding a grudge.”
Her eyes widened. “Surely he wouldn’t do anything to spoil his daughter’s wedding.”
“We’re about to find out.”
Father and daughter stopped in front of the minister, who said, “If anyone knows why this man and this woman should not be joined in matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace.”
Hunter didn’t miss the warning look Avery gave her father and without a word he lifted her veil and kissed her cheek, then gave his daughter’s hand to her groom. It seemed as if there was a collective release of tension in the room and the vows went off without a hitch. Beside him Merry pulled a tissue from her small beaded purse and dabbed at her eyes.
When the ceremony was over, there were family pictures while guests moved into the room next door for the reception. Hunter was at the head table with the rest of his family for dinner and wedding toasts. Again Oscar stood and was the center of attention as well as a source of apprehension. The older man hesitated before speaking, long enough to make the Crawfords wonder if the revenge tirade was coming now.
It didn’t. The man was simply gathering his emotions, and he held up a glass of champagne as he wished his daughter every happiness. Hunter couldn’t imagine giving away his little girl to the son of a sworn enemy, but to his credit, Ellington did just that. Merry had been right about him not spoiling Avery’s special day.
His gaze kept straying to Merry and he was impressed by her ability to chat with people at her table even as she continuously watched Wren. After dinner, when music and dancing started, keeping his daughter under surveillance became even more of a challenge. He was relieved that another pair of eyes was dedicated to that mission. Still, he picked out a discreet place to stand and watch over her.
As if living up to her name, she was flitting and flying all over the room. Right now she was dancing with the bride and groom. The three were laughing one minute and talking seriously the next. Even from this far away he could see his daughter’s interest in the conversation and wondered what it was about.
A wave of melancholy washed over him as he thought how much his daughter looked like her mother. Wren was so wonderful and it made him sad that Lara wasn’t here to see. And he blamed himself for that.
The dance floor was crowded but he spotted his family—Logan with Sarah, Xander and Lily, Knox holding his Genevieve. They all looked really happy. He was glad for them, but envy brought back the melancholy and with it some anger.
“Daddy?”
“Hey, kiddo.” He’d been so lost in thought she’d sneaked up on him. “Are you having fun?”
“Yes.” She clapped her hands together. “This is the best wedding ever.”
That was a matter of opinion. He couldn’t wait for it to be over. “I’m glad you’re having a good time.”
“I really am.” She looked up at him, concern on her little face. “Are you?”
“Sure,” he lied. A falsehood was okay when it was about not spoiling your child’s experience, right? “This is fun.”
“You don’t like it,” she accused.
“No?” Since when did she get so observant. “I really do. Like you said, best wedding ever.”
“Then why do you look so mad and sad at the same time?” she asked.
Damn. He’d been so sure his feelings didn’t show. “Do I?”
“Yes. And you’re all by yourself. It’s dark over here.”
He glanced around the room, at the tables with their flameless candles and the flowers everywhere. There was a three-tiered cake garnished with roses on a separate table. Hanging over the dance area was a crystal chandelier that bathed the guests in a magical glow. The venue was bright and festive but he had instinctively gravitated to the darkest shadows in the room. It didn’t take a shrink to tell him he was instinctively hiding from this celebration of love because it was a reminder of everything he’d lost.
“I like watching everyone dance and this is the best place to do that.” He hoped that would satisfy her.
“Then why do you still look sad?”
So much for her letting this go. “I’m fine, honey. I haven’t seen you dance with Gramps yet.”
“I know. He’s asking all the ladies to dance.”
Hunter easily spotted his silver-haired father waltzing with an attractive brunette. “Yeah. He does that.”
“So does Uncle Wilder.”
“Yeah.” His brother was living up to his name, as usual.
“I have an idea.” Wren met his gaze and hers was full of earnestness.
“I know what you’re going to say.” He grinned at her. “And I should have thought of it myself. You and I should have a dance.”
“No.”
“What?”
“You should ask Merry to dance. That would cheer you up.”
